The carbon element with its compact riding position only came into its own on the wet downhill on the Auerberg: While the oversized CTD lever from Fox releases the full travel in the "Descend" position, the plush suspension makes riding over slippery rocks a controlled overtaking manoeuvre. The full suspension bonus of the 29er helped me gain three places on this short but crisp descent at the Auerberg Marathon. On the rest of the route to Kaufbeuren - mainly on gravel and tarmac - the Fox lever was mostly engaged in "Climb" mode, which switches to the hardest platform on the fork and shock. This means you don't feel the slight bobbing of the sensitive 95-millimetre rear shock. It is precisely this additional comfort that speaks in favour of the 29er element, especially in difficult marathons and stage races with demanding descents. Although you may ask yourself: why is it that despite the light, elegant carbon frame (1777 grams in L), you can't get below 11.65 kilos? In addition to the 80 grams of the CTD lever, this is due to the mid-range components. The top model, at just over ten kilos, shows what is possible. The short, steeply sloping top tube brings the rider compactly and with a lot of pressure towards the front wheel, the handling is somewhat smoother than on the aluminium 29er.
Conclusion: worthy successor to the Element family. Heavy race terrain suits the versatile, forgiving Element.
PLUS Suspension that is easy to swallow, dual remote lever, sensible gear ratio
MINUS Light rocking
